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In 1925, young Dominick Bohn made it his goal to “see the world.” He was a youth of 16, hailing from Verendrye. But youth, he thought, was no excuse for lack of experience. So Dominick tried to make it happen. He got a ticket to Chicago, and with only a few dimes left to his […]

On this date in 1965, the halls of the Patterson Hotel were once again filled with members of the Nonpartisan League. Representatives were arriving for the Midwest Democratic Conference hosted by Governor William Guy, with Vice President Hubert Humphrey as guest speaker. But the occasion was also being used to honor the 50th Anniversary of […]

A city is ever-changing and ever-growing. Businesses move around and eventually, one place becomes another, until soon, the city’s face is transformed from what it has been a decade, a year or even just a month ago. In Bismarck, there is a spot along Eighth Street and Rosser that housed many different activities. It was […]

Grand Forks was like any other Midwestern city in 1965. It was a thriving, bustling community, rapidly expanding south along the river and the economy was good. The Grand Forks Air Base had been established in the late 1950’s and sorties of B52’s flew from the newly established Strategic Air Command which, only two years […]

Director of Radio Bill Thomas came to North Dakota after working in Lincoln at Nebraska’s Public Radio Network. He’s worked in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois; Los Angeles; Washington, DC; and St. Louis. He started small community stations, managed national program distribution, has been a program director, a station manager and a network manager. In his spare time […]

If you’ve ever been to a dance, you know that many people feel better about taking part after they’ve had a little something—be it beer, wine or something else—to drink. In 1935, however, that sentiment did not go over well with some, and so some of the people of Minot began to consider whether or […]

For North Dakota there were a lot of dreams depending upon the Missouri River Diversion. As far back as 1890 there was talk of diverting water from the Mouse River or the Missouri River into Devils Lake to raise the level of the lake for the purpose of allowing for the steamboats on the lake […]

In the summer of 1919 the US Army sent across the vast American continent a motorized convoy to test the Army’s ability to mobilize forces in case of an attack on American soil. The convoy consisted of 282 Army personnel and 81 motorized vehicles including cargo trucks, observation cars, motorcycles, kitchen trailers and a caterpillar […]

Shortly after moving to North Dakota in 1901, Danish immigrant Jens Dixen gained an international reputation as a prolific evangelist, missions worker and teacher. Among the many positions he held while living in North Dakota was a short term as president of Brorson Folk School near Kenmare. While serving at the school, he moved into […]

On this day in 1904, in Silva, North Dakota, Clifford Thompson was born. Although a normal size at birth, in 1940 Clifford became known the world’s tallest living man. In 1911 the Thompson family moved from North Dakota to Wisconsin where Thompson finished high school and teacher’s college. Once graduated, prejudice against his height made […]

By 1863, as Civil War casualties mounted, the Union faced a seemingly endless struggle to find new recruits. Caught between draft riots in the North and an increasing demand for more troops, President Abraham Lincoln approved a plan in early 1864 to seek volunteers from among Confederate prisoners of war. By summer, nearly 1,800 Confederate […]

It’s not a surprise that “the media,” a blanket term we use to describe that large information network and consisting of so many mediums, is rarely looked upon as a blessing. Yet North Dakota’s history holds these sources of information, and especially newspapers, in spots of honor. Rife with the ongoing troubles and tribulations of […]

In May of 1948, Edward J. Flanagan, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, died. Maybe you’ve heard his name; maybe you haven’t. He was, however, a man who lived by his work. In 1917, Father Flanagan founded a Home for Homeless Boys in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1921, because of inadequate facilities, he established Boys […]

Students in North Dakota have, throughout decades past, been subject to the changing of seasons in an agricultural state. Different farm-related chores sometimes took precedent over the classroom. You, dear listener, may have a parent or grandparent who was finished with school by the time they were twelve or fourteen. And it didn’t just happen […]

“September 25 was an eventful day for the N. D. volunteers,” recalled John Kinne, “we were mustered out for the last time….We bought our railroad tickets home, paid our debts…bid farewell to camp and left for the city, free men.” The year was 1899. Sixteen months earlier, over 500 officers and men of the 1st […]

Born in Sentinel Butte, North Dakota, Staff Sergeant Jack Pendleton was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Bardenberg, Germany on this day in 1944. Sacrificing his own life, Pendleton deliberately diverted the attention of an enemy machine gunner, enabling the entire company to advance and complete their mission. In his honor, a World […]

In 1988, historian James McPherson helped launch a renewed interest in the Civil War with his Pulitzer Prize winning book, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Born in Valley City, North Dakota on this day in 1936, James McPherson moved to Baltimore, Maryland to complete his graduate work at Johns Hopkins University. There […]

Bands of Minnesota Sioux had joined the western Sioux bands or had gone to Devils Lake in late 1862. The Sibley Expedition left Fort Snelling in the summer of 1863 and traveled across the central part of the area, engaging in battles at Big Mound, Dead Buffalo Lake, Stoney Lake and a number of running […]

There were few men from Northern Dakota Territory who saw service in the Union and Confederate battles of the Civil War but the years from 1862 to 1864 constituted a significant military presence on the plains of Dakota. On the 18th of August, 1862 hostilities broke out at the Upper Sioux Agency on the Yellow […]

October of 1862 brought the 12th Michigan Infantry to the battle fields of the South. Joseph Tooley had left behind his young wife, Sarah, and three-week-old son to fight for the Stars and Stripes. Later, Sarah received a letter stating that Joseph was being hospitalized at the Arkansas/Texas border. Sarah knew that she must find […]